Complaints of flooding inundated the Elmhurst Public Works Committee meeting Monday night, with residents complaining the city isn't doing enough to combat storms like last week's, which dumped two to four inches of rain in five hours.

To accommodate the number of residents, the meeting was moved to City Council chambers. Staff members said stormwater systems performed properly, although some inlets were clogged with garbage set out for Friday's pickup and had to be cleared by city workers. Rain was heaviest on the north side.

Several residents said the problem is not getting water into the storm sewers but stopping the water from coming out of them.

"The sheer volume of water that's coming back out of the sewer blows the manhole cover off," said Jason Birnbaum of the 200 block of North Maple Avenue. "I can't believe that's normal for a storm sewer."

He said he's had eight or nine feet of water in his basement twice in the last 13 months. Maple Avenue neighbor Amy Lasker described water coming out of the storm sewer as a "geyser."

Several residents had more than property damage on their minds.

Steve Mauck, of the 100 block of North Myrtle Avenue, said flooding leaves his house surrounded by two feet of water on all four sides.

"There's no way the Fire Department can get to my house. How am I going to get my kids out of my house?" Mauck asked. "It terrifies me and it makes me angry and it makes me sad. I can't live in a place where I don't feel safe for my family."

The north side of Elmhurst received 4 inches of rain while the south side only got about 2 inches, city officials said.

Ald. Jim Kennedy, the committee chairman, said he has experienced flooding while growing up in Elmhurst and more recently and understands the plight of residents.

"We hear you. That's why we've spent so much time working on what is clearly the No. 1 issue in Elmhurst," he said, adding that there are no overnight solutions. "It's going to take money and it's going to take time."

Mayor Steve Morley, who attended the meeting, said it also could take cooperation from Community Unit School District 205 and the Elmhurst Park District.

Morley and City Manager James Grabowski recently sent letters asking each agency to partner with the city in using open land under their control for temporary floodwater detention.